JESUITS OF THE CALIFORNIA PROVINCE FALL 2007
Advocate
jesuit physician Jon Fuller
Forming Deacons for the church
New school with IgnatiAn Values
The formation of a Jesuit
“I ask the Father
to give me an intimate knowledge of the many
gifts I have received that filled with gratitude for all,
I may in all things love and serve the Divine Majesty.”
FROM THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF
ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA
JESUITS OF THE CALIFORNIA PROVINCE FALL 2007
6
THE FORMATION OF A JESUIT
The process of educating, training,
and preparing Jesuits involves five
distinct stages spanning 10 to 12 years.
8
PAT LASSY
FORMING DEACONS
FOR THE CHURCH
The future Class of 2010 heads into Xavier College
Preparatory. See “A New Kind of School with Ignatian
Values,” page 14.
IN EVERY ISSUE
2
FROM THE PROVINCIAL
Forming ourselves for
Ignatian life
by John P. McGarry, S.J.
3
PROVINCE NEWS
Three Jesuit priests ordained,
Our Lady of the Oaks Villa
remodeled
5
GOOD STEWARD
Meet Ed Thrift
22
ON POINT
Discovering the historical Jesus
by Ron Hansen
Two Jesuit priests based in Santa
Barbara are training laymen to serve as
permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
14
A NEW KIND OF SCHOOL
WITH IGNATIAN VALUES
An educational oasis in the California Desert,
Xavier College Preparatory is an Ignatian
high school in the Jesuit tradition.
18
THE RISKS OF MERCY
As a Jesuit priest and a practicing
physician, Jon Fuller, S.J., draws on his
spirituality and sense of social justice to be a
compassionate advocate for HIV/AIDS patients.
24 MEDITATIONS
Let us go together to the fire
by Robert J. Glynn, S.J.
ON THE COVER: Jesuit physician Jon Fuller treats patients at the Adult AIDS Clinic
of the Boston University Medical Center. See “The Risks of Mercy,” page 18.
PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY MAGLOTT
MISSION FALL 2007
1
FORMING OURSELVES FOR IGNATIAN LIFE
T
mission
EDITOR
Richards E. Bushnell
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Robert J. Glynn, S.J,
Ron Hansen
Charles J. Jackson, S.J.
Dan Peterson, S.J.
Colleen Smith
Gail Tyson
DESIGN
Zehno Cross Media Communications
ADVANCEMENT OFFICE
William F. Masterson
Assistant for Advancement
Elizabeth L. Winer
Associate Director of Annual Giving
Richards E. Bushnell
Associate Director of Communications
Chelsea Boyer
Advancement Assistant
Mission is published three times a year
by the Jesuits of the California Province
P.O. Box 68 Los Gatos, CA, 95031-0068
Phone: (408) 884-1630
E-mail: [email protected]
www.jesuitscalifornia.org
©2007 California Province of the
Society of Jesus. All rights reserved.
The comments and opinions expressed
in Mission magazine are those of the authors
and editors and do not necessarily reflect
official positions of the California Province of
the Society of Jesus.
2 MISSION FALL 2007
he disciples of Jesus were formed
by their experience of living with
him, listening to him, following his examples, and learning to teach
people as he did. Each of us is formed
by our experience with our families, our
relationships, our education, by the vocation we have chosen and the work we do.
We are formed in our faith by our life in
the Church.
Throughout the centuries, the Society
of Jesus has always devoted special care
to the formation of Jesuits for apostolic
mission. As you will see in this issue,
formation of Jesuits is a progressive path
which follows a succession of stages with
specific points at which an individual’s
growth in relationship to God and his
passion for following Jesus are measured
and evaluated. The most central formative
experience for a Jesuit is making the
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola.
For the past three decades, the Society
through its ministries, including Jesuit
high schools, universities, parishes, and
retreat centers, has sought ways to share
the spirituality of St. Ignatius by offering the Spiritual Exercises in a variety of
forms. Our goal is to welcome laypersons,
religious, and clergy into the Ignatian
way of life. As a result, there has been a
growing partnership between Jesuits and
others who pray and work together in
a common spirit. In fact, Jesuit-lay
partnership has become the “essential
dimension of the contemporary Jesuit
way of proceeding.”
Consequently, formation for partnership has become a new emphasis for
Jesuits and all those who serve in our
apostolic works. In the Vision Statement
I developed with provincial staff in 2005,
we identified Ignatian formation as one
of four main priorities. In my State of the
Province address this past December, I
stated: “We Jesuits are more deeply committed to what has become the era of partnership in the Society and its works. I seek
to nurture and care for that partnership and
for our partners.”
To nurture our Ignatian partners, our
ministries provide opportunities for
laypersons, including parishioners and
retreatants, to have outstanding experiences
in which to form their lives as Christians.
For example, many of our high schools and
universities, offer immersion experiences in
which students, faculty, and staff can meet
and work with marginalized people. Many
other resources are available for formation
in Ignatian spirituality, including our website—www.jesuitscalifornia.org—where
we have a page devoted to “Pastoral Formation Resources.”
This past June, I joined a delegation from
the California Province in visiting two Jesuit
provinces in South America. We visited the
Province of Uruguay with whom we have
been “twinned,” or partnered, for 20 years
and the Province of Argentina with whom
we are establishing a formal twinning relationship. This was a formational experience
for our Province.
Our Jesuits, who themselves are constantly being formed, have developed a
certain knack for forming others, including
permanent deacons. Please see “Forming
deacons for the Church” on page 8.
Finally, I invite you to continue to deepen your own experience of Christ through
the Ignatian partnership you share in supporting the California Province. May the
Lord continue to bless us all as we strive to
love and serve Him.
Gratefully in the Lord,
Rev. John P. McGarry, S.J.
Provincial
POSTCARDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
D
ABOVE: In Calcutta, Fr. Bob Fabing, S.J.,
gave retreats for the Missionaries of
Charity led by Sr. Nirmala, M.C. (front right).
RIGHT: In El Salvador, Fr. Provincial John
McGarry, S.J. (center) and Fr. Michael
Kennedy, S.J. (left) lead a procession
on Holy Thursday.
uring Holy Week, Father Provincial John P. McGarry, S.J.,
and Father Michael E. Kennedy, S.J., journeyed to El Salvador
and Honduras to visit with Jesuit missionaries, former Jesuits,
and Central American Catholics. In Gaurjila, El Salvador, Fr. Provincial
McGarry (below) elevated the monstrance as he and Fr. Kennedy
led a procession of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday.
Earlier this year, Father Bob
Fabing, S.J. (top left) traveled to
Calcutta, India, where he gave
retreats for novices of the Missionaries of Charity, the Catholic
religious order founded in 1950 by
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
Nearly 500 sisters sang Fr. Fabing’s
new composition “Mass for Teresa
of Calcutta.” Sister Nirmala, M.C.,
succeeded Mother Teresa as general
superior in 1997.
REMODELING SPRUCES UP OUR LADY OF THE OAKS VILLA
ocated in Applegate, Calif., about
property could be a resource for religious
40 miles northeast of Sacramento,
retreats and conferences. With the ProOur Lady of the Oaks Villa provides a
vincial’s approval, use of the property was
tranquil environment for rest, reflection, and
offered on an occasional basis to Jesuit
spiritual renewal in the Sierra foothills. The
schools and parishes for retreats.
California Province purchased this property of
Today, from September through May
each year, the Villa
more than 300 acres
hosts retreats for
in 1955 to serve as a
the University of San
vacation site for Jesuit
Francisco, Catholic
priests, brothers, and
high schools in Sacscholastics. Formerly
ramento, parishes
known as The Oaks,
and groups from the
the property had
Diocese of Sacraserved as a resort for
mento, as well as
San Francisco Bay
Protestant churches
Area vacationers since New lodging unit (left) and recreation room (right)
are part of remodel at Our Lady of the Oaks Villa.
and civic groups
the 1890s.
when space is availBy 1967, a chapel,
able. During the summer, the Villa hosts
dining room, lodge with 17 bedrooms and
the annual conference of PICO, a summer
recreation space, and a swimming pool had
camp for Sacred Heart Nativity School and
been added to the site. Several generations
Our Lady of Grace Nativity School from
of Jesuits vacationed here from the 1950s
San Jose, and vacationing Jesuits during
through the 1980s.
a six-week period.
In the 1980s, Father Phil Callaghan, S.J.,
Earlier this year, extensive remodeling of
then director of the Villa, saw that the
THOMAS P. RAUSCH. S.J.
L
the chapel and dining room was completed.
The 1890s lodge building was demolished
and replaced by a new meeting and conference center. With these improvements,
the Villa can better accommodate the
Province’s Jesuit ministries and Catholic
institutions in California’s Central Valley.
—Father Gerald H. Robinson, S.J.
For information on reserving the Villa,
contact Ron Weingart, resident manager: call
(530) 878-2776, e-mail [email protected] or
write to P.O. Box 128, Applegate, CA 95703.
JOIN US ON THE INTERNET
Listen to lively podcasts
by Jesuits and laypersons,
hear Jesuit songs on the
Music Box, and watch the
Video Theater, all on our website:
www.jesuitscalifornia.org
MISSION FALL 2007
3
ORDINATIONS
Three California Province Jesuits
ordained as priests
n June, the California Province
celebrated the ordination of three
new Jesuit priests. Most Rev. Carlos A.
Sevilla, S.J., Bishop of Yakima and himself
a California Province Jesuit, presided at
the ordination Mass held in Sacred Heart
Chapel at Loyola Marymount University
in Los Angeles. Following are brief
biographies of each new Jesuit priest
and his assignment.
I
Father Robert R. Ballecer, S.J., was born on
May 28, 1974, in Hayward, Calif. After graduating from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San
Jose, he attended Santa Clara University for
two years before entering the Jesuit novitiate in
August 1994. He earned a B.A. in philosophy at
Loyola University in Chicago, then taught computer programming at Loyola High School in
Los Angeles. He did his theology studies at the
Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, receiving a Master of Divinity degree. He will serve
at Holy Spirit Parish and the Catholic Campus
Ministry/Newman Center at the University of
Hawaii in Honolulu.
From left to right: Fr. Joseph Spieler, S.J., Fr. Chu Van Ngo, S.J., Fr. Jerome Hayes, S.J.,
Bishop Carlos Sevilla, S.J., Fr. Robert Ballecer, S.J., Fr. Provincial John McGarry, S.J.
Father Jerome T. Hayes, S.J., was born on
August 14, 1964, in Anaheim, Calif. After attending California State University-Sacramento
for three years, he entered the Jesuit novitiate
in August 1994. He earned a B.A. in philosophy at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.,
then taught theology and served as assistant
campus minister at Loyola High School in Los
Angeles. He did his theology studies at the
Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, receiving
an M.Div. He will return to Loyola High School
to serve as director of campus ministry.
Father Chu Van Ngo, S.J., was born on June
in parish ministry at St. Ignatius Parish in
Sacramento (1956-58, 1986-91), St. Clare
Parish in Santa Clara, Calif. (1961-72), and
Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Santa
Barbara (pastor 1972-86; associate pastor
1991-2001; pastor emeritus 2001-07). He
was an effective and highly respected
pastor who showed great wisdom and tact.
Father James E. Morse, S.J., 87
29, 1958, in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. He entered
the Jesuit novitiate in August 1993 as a brother.
After earning his B.A. in philosophy at St. Louis
University, he taught catechism at Most Holy
Trinity Parish in San Jose. He did his theology
studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in
Berkeley, receiving an M.Div. He will return to
Vietnam to minister to the Vietnamese people.
IN REMEMBR ANCE
Father Clinton E. Albertson, S.J., 88
May 3, 2007 at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. A graduate of Loyola High
School in Los Angeles, he entered the
Jesuits in 1936, earned a degree in English
literature at Oxford, and taught for 50 years
at Loyola Marymount University where he
founded and guided the honors program.
He was an excellent teacher with a clear
and precise manner; his slide lectures on
art and architecture were popular components of the art and continuing education
departments. After retiring from the classroom, he moderated a faculty Christian Life
Community group and gave retreats.
Father Martin L. Brewer, 86
March 22, 2007 in Santa Barbara. A native
of Oakland, he grew up in Yuba City,
Calif., and entered the Jesuits in 1941.
Except for a three-year stint as a counselor
at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San
Jose (1958-61), he spent his priestly life
4 MISSION FALL 2007
Father Thomas P. Higgins, S.J., 75
June 9, 2007 at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center.
Born in Santa Monica, he graduated from
Loyola High School and entered the Jesuits
in 1952. He taught at Bellarmine and
was a popular teacher and counselor at
Loyola Marymount University (1970-2006).
Possessed of great energy, humor, and
creativity, he set up a sidewalk booth on
campus advertised by a sign—“Spiritual
Giant—Advice 5¢”—which attracted
countless students. He also served as the
university golf coach for 31 years. He was
a born entertainer and a professionally
trained blackjack dealer.
March 27, 2007 at Sacred Heart Jesuit
Center. A native of San Diego, he entered
the Jesuits in 1937 and was ordained
a priest in 1950. His served as treasurer
at Bellarmine (1952-58, 1968-2001),
Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix
(1963-67), and in other administrative roles.
A precise and efficient financial officer, he
excelled in demanding and responsible
positions, demonstrating his faith and
dedication in a vital behind-the-scenes role.
Father Ronald D. Wolf, S.J., 64
March 6, 2007 in San Jose. Born in
Maywood, Calif., he entered the Jesuits in
1960 and was ordained in 1976. He taught
at Jesuit High School in Sacramento and
did community organizing work in Chicago
and Oakland. He combined a keen sense
of social justice with the mind of an activist,
employing his energies in anti-poverty work
and inspiring his students and confreres.
He became a respected counselor and
spiritual guide to recovering alcoholics.
GOOD STEWARD
Meet Ed Thrift
hen people step back and plot the course they have followed through life, instead of finding a straight one, they
usually trace a winding path with more than a few twists
and turns. When Edgar M. Thrift, Jr., describes his formative years,
his zigzagging path more closely resembles that of a roller coaster.
W
Born in 1943 in San Jose, Ed is the son of the late Ed and Evelyn
out again and wound up
Thrift, a hardworking couple who raised three other children. “My
on a survey chain gang
parents gave us everything we needed, but not everything we
at Lake Tahoe. After
wanted,” Ed recalls. He speaks fondly of his mother, a business-
another stint at City
woman who served as a bookkeeper for five companies and
College, he was
became “the first female stockbroker in Santa Clara County. My
finally readmitted to
mother taught me multitasking.” Ed says he learned from his
SCU, thanks in part to Fr. Stretch. This time he hit the books:
father, an IRS agent who disliked his work, “not to take a job
“I was motivated— I was scared.” In 1966, Ed graduated with a
because you think you can make money, but to do something you
B.S. in management and went on to graduate school, earning an
love and the money will come.”
M.B.A. in 1968.
Having served in the military during World War II, Ed’s father
While attending business school, Ed started selling houses.
developed a friendship with the late Father Edward M. Stretch,
After graduation, he went into commercial real estate, landing
S.J., who had served as an Army chaplain. “Fr. Stretch
a job with Dallas-based Lincoln Property Company LPC.
was always at our house,” Ed recalls.
Eventually, Ed and his partners bought out that firm’s
“I learned so
western business and renamed it Legacy Partners
much by watching
Jesuits in action,
watching what they
do, not just what
they say.”
LPC. After many years of success, Ed stepped
Ed attended St. Leo the Great School in San
Jose. But “from the time I can remember, I
knew I was going to Bellarmine College Preparatory.” The Jesuits there confirmed Ed’s
view of the “black robes,” as he sometimes
calls them. “There was always something
different about these men. Besides being
excellent teachers, you could turn to them if you
had a problem.”
When he was attending Bellarmine (1957-1961), Ed
says he had a tendency to get into trouble —“I couldn’t keep my
mouth shut.” But he appreciated the way the Jesuits “treated
down as Legacy’s president in 2001.
Today, Ed and his wife, Gail, and their English bulldog, Sir Humphrey, live in Santa Cruz.
Though he is still involved in real-estate development, Ed devotes time to charitable work.
He founded “Our House,” a shelter and outreach
program for runaway and “throwaway” youths in
San Jose which is now part of EHC LifeBuilders
(call 408-539-2100 or visit www.ehclifebuilders.org).
In addition, Ed serves on Bellarmine’s Board of Regents and
you like an adult human being.” Ed credits the late Father Joseph
is a member of the Advancement Leadership Council of the
M. Costa, S.J., who was then vice-principal, for helping steer him
California Province of the Society of Jesus.
on a course that led to graduation.
Reflecting on his relationship with the Jesuits, Ed says, “I
Along the way, Ed says, there were two credos at Bellarmine
learned so much by watching Jesuits in action, watching what
that still “mean everything to me: ‘Justice under God’ and ‘Men
they do, not just what they say. They lead from the front. I see
for others.’ That’s why I’m a part of the Bellarmine family and the
Jesuits in front of me throwing spiritual spears and I am one of
Jesuit family,” he adds.
the spear carriers. As lay people get deeper into Ignatian spiritual-
After graduating from Bellarmine, Ed enrolled at Santa Clara
ity, they need access to the Spiritual Exercises. I think the Jesuits
University. “I proceeded to party and flunked out after my first
have one of the few keys that can unlock the spiritual door of the
year. Then I went and dug ditches for PG&E (Pacific Gas & Elec-
next millennium.”
—Dick Bushnell
tric).” Undaunted, he went to San Jose City College but flunked
MISSION FALL 2007
5
THE FORMATION
NOV ITI ATE
>
The novitiate is the first stage of a
Jesuit’s formation as a religious and a
minister. The California Province novitiate, called Ignatius House, is located
in Culver City near Los Angeles. Over
two years, novices learn the Jesuit
“way of proceeding” by entering into the
life of the Society, study the history and
foundational documents of the Jesuits,
make the Spiritual Exercises in a silent
30-day retreat, and serve the Church in a
variety of apostolic placements.
FIRST VOWS
The novitiate concludes with the novice
pronouncing his First Vows—perpetual
vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
6 MISSION FALL 2007
FIRST STUDIES
>
This period, lasting two to three years,
integrates intellectual and spiritual
growth. Scholastics, as Jesuit seminarians
are known, may enroll in Fordham
University (Bronx, N.Y.), Loyola
University Chicago, or Saint Louis
University; some study abroad. Some
men may finish work on a bachelor’s
degree, while others work on a
master’s degree in philosophy, and
all begin theology study. While study
is their principal apostolate, scholastics
also serve the ministry needs of
the local church, perhaps assisting
in prison chaplaincy or staffing a
homeless shelter.
R EGENCY
>
During this two- to three-year period,
Jesuit scholastics work in ministries
while living in community. Typically,
Jesuits are assigned to teach at high
schools or universities, but some
might work in parishes or other
ministries. Regency is all about finding fulfillment in the life and work
of the Jesuit community.
The training, education, and preparation of Jesuit brothers and priests is a rigorous
process involving a number of stages spanning 10 to 12 years. Currently, about
60 Jesuits in the California Province are at various stages of their formative journey.
OF A JESUIT
THEOLOGY STUDIES
>
Jesuits usually spend four years
studying theology. Those who pursue
a Master of Divinity degree enroll
at the Jesuit School of Theology at
Berkeley or Weston Jesuit School of
Theology in Cambridge, Mass., or
go abroad to study.
ORDINATION OF PRIESTS
Candidates for the priesthood are
first ordained as transitional deacons
for a period of one year. After
ordination as priests, Jesuits are
missioned to serve in parishes,
schools, or other ministries; some
may pursue advanced study.
T ERTI A NSHIP
>
After three to five years in active
ministry, a Jesuit spends a period of
time ranging from nine weeks over
two summers to nine months in a
tertianship program in preparation
for his Final Vows. Tertianship may
take place anywhere in the world.
The tertian, as he is called, makes the
Spiritual Exercises again in another
30-day retreat, studies the Constitutions
of the Society, and spends some time
in a ministry different than his typical
work. He also spends time, often with
a spiritual director, in seeking a deeper
understanding of his life as a Jesuit.
FINAL VOWS
After tertianship, the Superior
General of the Society invites men
to pronounce their Final Vows. In
addition to pronouncing perpetual
vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, Jesuits make a fourth vow of
obedience to go wherever the pope
finds them needed. Final Vows bring
the Jesuit into full membership in
the Society of Jesus and conclude
the formal process of formation. In
another sense, though, their formation never ends since Jesuits commit
themselves to continual education
and spiritual renewal.
—Fr. Michael Weiler, S.J., and
Dick Bushnell
MISSION FALL 2007
7
8 MISSION FALL 2007
Forming deacons
for the Church
JESUITS PREPARE CATHOLIC LAITY FOR MINISTRY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
by Colleen Smith
•
photography by Manuello Paganelli
very other Saturday for four and a half years,
E
a diverse group of 60 Catholic men, often
accompanied by wives, assembled at the Church
of Our Lady of Sorrows in Santa Barbara, a parish served
by Jesuits since 1908. Ranging in age from their mid30s to late 60s, the Anglo, Asian, and Hispanic men are
members of parishes in Southern California. Many of
them are married, some are widowed and single. They
work in jobs ranging from attorney to gardener; others
are retired from careers in firefighting, police work, and
the military. One is a former seminarian who, after being
robbed and shot, doesn’t consider a wheelchair any
barrier to his latest vocation.
What drew them together was a common desire to
become permanent deacons in the Roman Catholic
Church. Indeed, on June 16, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony,
Archbishop of Los Angeles, ordained the men into the
Order of Deacons. The cardinal presided at a liturgy held
outdoors at a stadium in order to accommodate all of the
ordinands, wives, and friends. (For a discussion of the
role of deacons in the Church, see “Who are deacons,
what do they do” on page 13.)
Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, imposes his hands
on each candidate during the ordination of permanent deacons.
MISSION FALL 2007
9
T
he deacons represent the first class of graduates from a
formation program conducted by two California Province
Jesuits: Fathers Luis Quihuis, S.J., and Thomas
McCormick, S.J., pastor and associate pastor, respectively, of
Our Lady of Sorrows. Both Jesuits hold pontifical licentiates in
theology, qualifying them to direct the formation program.
“Father Tom is the Abraham of this deaconate program,” says
Maggie Moon, wife of newly ordained Deacon Ron Moon. “The
fact that he would say ‘Yes’ to a commitment of this magnitude
is a sign of his servanthood. Love drives his engine.” “Father
Tom is as humble and kind as any man I’ve ever met,” adds
Deacon Kevin Mauch. “He’s a great leader and the spiritual soul
of the English-speaking group of deacons. He came to class on
crutches two weeks after surgery, even though he had orders
for bed rest. He’s given so much of his time and love to this
class —and it’s reciprocated.”
Father Quihuis is held in equal esteem, especially by the
Spanish-speaking deacons. “He works with passion for Hispanics in this country, not just Santa Barbara. He has the ability to
intermingle with Church hierarchy and city government and
common people,” says Deacon Jorge Rodriquez.
Smiles break out as Father Luis Quihuis, S.J. (left) and Father Thomas
McCormick, S.J., arrive for the ordination of the permanent deacons.
A SEED IDEA GROWS INTO REALITY
The Santa Barbara-based formation program grew out of an
after-dinner chat between Fathers McCormick and Quihuis in
2002. Pondering the signs of the times, the two priests speculated on how they could best serve the local Church. They
considered several key factors: California’s growing Hispanic
population, the dwindling number of priests, the dearth of
Spanish-speaking deacons in their pastoral region, and the fact
that the existing formation program was based in Los Angeles,
a 2-hour drive to the south.
10 MISSION FALL 2007
Frs. McCormick and Quihuis thought of a way to address the
challenges. They proposed the idea of a formation program
for Spanish-speaking deacons to Most Rev. Thomas J. Curry,
Bishop of the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region. He received the
idea enthusiastically and asked if the program could also offer
a parallel track for English-speaking deacons.
In turn, Bishop Curry conveyed the idea to Cardinal Mahony.
Recognizing that permanent deacons could help bridge the
ministerial gap between California’s growing Catholic population and its decreasing ranks of priests, Cardinal Mahony
quickly approved the concept.
LAY PARTICIPATION, JESUIT COLLABORATION
From the first meeting for candidates in March 2004, the formation program attracted interest among Catholics. As Fr. Quihuis
explains, “We asked pastors to bring their prospective candidates for the diaconate. We set up chairs for 30 people; we had
more than 100 people show up. We were blown away by the
sheer interest.”
Initially, 32 Spanish-speaking and 42 English-speaking men
committed themselves to the program. Frs. McCormick and
Quihuis created a curriculum “to form these men spiritually,
theologically, and academically,” says Fr. McCormick. In their
first year, the candidates made a 19th Annotation retreat to
ground them in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola.
Frs. McCormick and Quihuis also recruited brother Jesuits to
speak on their areas of expertise, including James Bretzke, S.J.;
Thomas Buckley, S.J.; John Coleman, S.J.; John McGarry, S.J.;
Michael Moodie, S.J.; Thomas Rausch, S.J.; Dennis Smolarski,
S.J; and Thomas Weston, S.J.
One Saturday, Father Martin Connell, S.J., a professor at
Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, spoke on Catholic
education, while first acknowledging the deacons’ service
orientation. “Deacons are the Border Collies of the Church,
always asking, ‘What can I do? How can I help?’ You’re very
good at anticipating the needs of others.”
Speaking of the candidates, Fr. McCormick says, “I’ve never
had more fun with a group of students. They’re very generous
people and they’re doing a good thing for the Church.”
The candidates, in turn, sensed the Jesuits were doing something good for them. “We’ve had a unique experience because
of the Jesuits,” says Deacon Mauch, a retired policeman. “The
Jesuit approach emphasized not just learning and understanding the material, but how it affects you and everyone else
around you. I hope our classmates will be brothers the rest of
our lives, understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses
and that while we have a common calling we don’t have to be
in lockstep.”
The Jesuits also invited the wives of married candidates to attend
formation classes on an optional basis, recognizing that many are
mothers with young children while others work full-time jobs.
Deacon Jorge
Rodriguez was
educated at a
Jesuit university in
El Salvador where
his professors were
among the six Jesuit
priests martyred in
1989. “WE CARRY
THIS ON IN THEIR
NAMES,” he says.
Virginia Rodriguez, for example, participated with her
husband, Jorge. Both were educated at a Jesuit university in
their native El Salvador, where several of their professors were
among the six Jesuit priests martyred in 1989. “We carry this on
in their names,” says Jorge.
FORMATION LEADS TO TRANSFORMATION
The long path to ordination was not an easy one for the candidates. “The academics have been daunting. I’d been away from
school for a long time,” says Mauch. He and his wife, Anita,
belong to Holy Cross Parish in Moorpark. Mauch’s pastor
suggested that he investigate the permanent diaconate. “I put
in an application to appease him— and I fell in love with the
camaraderie and reestablished my faith,” he explains. As a
former policeman, Mauch was no stranger to adversity, yet
approaching situations wearing an alb and a stole rather than
a badge and a bulletproof vest proved humbling. “It’s very
challenging, especially visiting prisoners and the sick and
dying,” he says.
Mauch believes that deacons can deeply empathize with the
average Catholic. “There’s some benefit in knowing what it is to
have a family crisis. Most of us have raised kids,” he adds.
The program not only formed the men to be deacons, but
shaped them as husbands and fathers —and their wives as well.
Eleanor Manalo, who emigrated from the Philippines, and
her husband, Dante, belong to Mary Star of the Sea Parish in
Oxnard. The Manalos have three grown children. “They have
seen a change in Dante. He’s transformed. He’s more open and
understanding as a father and a husband. He has learned to
listen more and not lose his temper,” she says.
“Learning together and having a common goal of serving
the Lord has enhanced our relationship with God and with
each other,” adds Eleanor. “This has improved our family togetherness and also has helped me a whole lot with my profession
as a nurse.”
Arnold and Anne Marie Reyes are active at Padre Serra Parish
in Camarillo. Anne Marie says she brings what she learned in
the formation program to her job at a corrections facility.
Chris Sandner and his wife, Diana, are parishioners at Our
Lady of Sorrows. Chris, who is a business consultant, sees the
MISSION FALL 2007
11
Maggie and Ron Moon, married 36 years
and parents to three young adults, belong to
St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Camarillo. Maggie, a retired educator and former youth minister, appreciated the Jesuits’ flexibility “The
program allowed me to be the woman I am
and allows my husband to be who he wants
to be before God,” she says.
CHALLENGES AND REWARDS
OF THE DIACONATE
Deacon Chris Sandner and his wife, Diana, greet well-wishers
on his ordination day.
“I saw a CALMNESS about him. He has
more patience. His SPIRITUAL HEART is so
strong. I am trying very hard to be more
like him.” DIANA SANDNER
permanent diaconate from a pragmatic point of view. “We
walked into the program wanting to know what they wanted
from us. They never told us. It’s the Jesuits’ thinking to let the
process develop you as a person and as a couple; and out of
that effort you will find the place you need to be.”
Making sacrifices is also part of the process. “If you think this
is going to just fit into your life, it’s not,” he explains. “You end
up making real solid choices —some things are off the plate.
We’ve been married 37 years and I thought we’d spend our
retirement years just having fun, but more travel and leisure
doesn’t make for a full life. This is something of substance I
feel good about.”
Asked who sustained them through the program, Deacons
Sandner and Kingsley point to their wives. “This whole program has always included the two of us,” says Deacon Kingsley
nodding toward his wife, Pam. “Our first ministry is to family,”
says Pam, “but this was an opportunity for us to grow together.”
Diana Sandner noticed a transformation in her husband and
herself. “I saw a calmness about him. He has more patience.
His spiritual heart is so strong. I am trying very hard to be more
like him.”
12 MISSION FALL 2007
At the ordination, the deacons received
liturgical stoles designed especially for their
class (see the box at bottom right).
Having been ordained, the deacons will
now embrace the challenges of ministry.
Deacon Sandner, for example, hopes to
further his involvement with Respect Life
ministry. Deacon Mauch hopes to serve as a
chaplain to police officers: “These guys are
frequently away from their family during normal times of liturgy, and they can drift away
from faith. They often see the worst in people
and can become very negative on society.
They experience horrific things and have
nobody to offer guidance or a shoulder to cry
on. My goal is to offer a spiritual side from
somebody who has been in their situation.”
For Deacon Kingsley, the retired fireman,
“The fire service is a big family. I feel a calling to go back to
that group.” He spent the later part of his career debriefing firefighters suffering from critical incident stress. “Sometimes, it’s
just being there,” he says. “I went out on a suicide but I didn’t
say ten words; I just listened for an hour and a half.”
The deacons have not only received the sacrament of Holy
Orders, but the reward of ministry. As Deacon Mauch says, “I
come away stronger in my faith when I teach the faith, stronger
in my inner strength when I’m ministering to people who are
suffering. The reward to me is as great as anything I give.”
For its part, Our Lady of Sorrows parish, which hosted the
formation program, has gained eight new deacons who will
ease the ministerial demands upon Frs. McCormick and
Quihuis. But the Jesuit priests won’t be left with idle hands:
“We’re starting another class here in September,” says
Fr. Quihuis, “and Cardinal Mahony asked that the Jesuits
develop this program in other regions.”
WHO ARE DEACONS, WHAT DO THEY DO?
The word deacon is derived from the Greek diakonos meaning
servant; the derivative diaconia means service. Deacons carry out
service to the Church and the People of God.
The diaconate dates to the Apostolic age. St. Paul addresses deacons in his letter to the Philippians and deacons are mentioned in the
first letter of Timothy. The Acts of the Apostles chronicles the institution of the order of deacons, describing the ordination of seven men
from the Christian community in Jerusalem. The original deacons
distributed provisions to widows of Greek-speaking Jews.
The permanent diaconate faded in the Latin Church, evolving into
the transitional diaconate, a stage for deacons studying for the priesthood. In 1964, the Second Vatican Council ratified the restoration of
the permanent diaconate to the Latin Church. Lumen Gentium, the
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, called the diaconate a “proper
and permanent rank of the hierarchy” and described the duties of
permanent deacons as “so very necessary for the life of the church.”
In 1967, the Holy See issued the apostolic letter Sacrum Diaconatus
Ordinem which established the norms for the permanent diaconate.
The Order of Deacons includes both married and single men. The
Vatican stipulates that unmarried candidates observe clerical celibacy;
if the wife of a married deacon dies, he is prohibited from remarrying.
Permanent deacons live in fidelity to Jesus Christ, act with moral
integrity, and remain obedient to the bishop.
As clerics, permanent deacons can proclaim the Gospel, preach
homilies, assist priests celebrating Mass, administer the sacrament
of baptism, distribute Holy Communion, preside at funeral and burial
services, witness the sacrament of matrimony, and exercise other
ecclesiastical offices, including functioning as administrators in
priestless parishes
Liturgical stole: The IHS stands for Christ.
A sunburst seal of the Jesuit order and gold-and-red
chevrons from the Loyola family honor the Society
of Jesus. Angel wings derive from the logo of the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The rose is an icon of the
Blessed Mother. The shield with a castle evokes the
emblem of Saint Barbara. Embroidered at the bottom
of the stole is the Spanish phrase Siempre adalante, or
always forward, the motto of Blessed Junípero Serra, the
Franciscan who founded the old missions of California.
MISSION FALL 2007
13
A NEW KIND OF SCHOOL
WITH IGNATIAN
14 MISSION FALL 2007
IN THE CALIFORNIA DESERT, A COMMUNITY BUILDS A CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN THE JESUIT TRADITION
VALUES
BY GAIL TYSON
R
esidents of the Coachella Valley in Southern California
had long yearned for a Catholic high school, but the
nearest one was 90 miles away. Then in 1999, a pair
of Catholic mothers, Lori Tiedeman and Kim McNulty,
began organizing. “Our first meeting drew 75 people. There was
so much passion; we ended up with a huge following,” recalls Lori.
Seven years of hard work would follow before Xavier College
Preparatory High School would be officially endorsed by the California
Province of the Society of Jesus as an Ignatian school in the Jesuit
tradition. In fall 2006, Xavier’s first class of nearly 50 students enrolled.
MISSION FALL 2007
15
THE STORY OF THE COMMUNITY’S LONG
X
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAT LASSY
seems almost biblical and the school’s setting reinforces that
avier’s campus in Palm Desert rests on 96 acres of arid land.
Just south of the campus lie lush golf courses and palm-lined
boulevards named after Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and other
famous residents of the Palm Springs area. In the distance, the
ruddy peaks of the Little San Bernardino Mountains loom over
Xavier’s modern Mission-style buildings. Indeed, Xavier stands
out as an educational oasis designed to serve a diverse group
of students.
“We wanted an environment for our kids that prepared them
to do better for the world,” says Susan St. Louis of Rancho
Mirage. “To be world changers, they have to be trained. Here,
more is expected.” Her daughter, Mei Lê, became a member of
Xavier’s first class.
The parents and supporters who made Xavier happen
learned that changing their part of the world was not an easy
task “Many times we didn’t know where we were heading,”
Kim recalls. Although many communities have diocesan high
schools, that wasn’t an option in this case. As Lori explains,
Most Rev. Gerald Barnes, Bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino, welcomed the project but the diocese couldn’t promise
financial support. He asked the organizers “not to make this
an elitist school. So we spent a lot of time connecting with
churches in poorer communities,” says Lori.
16 MISSION FALL 2007
BUILDING AN IGNATIAN COMMUNITY
In 2003,
the supporters reached what Lori calls “a make-or-break period
and we were hitting a lot of walls.” At that point, the group got
to know Ed Hearn, then principal of Brophy College Preparatory, a Jesuit high school in Phoenix, Ariz. He helped them
imagine a new possibility: a school endorsed by the California
Province and led by committed laypersons. “The partnership
between Jesuits and laity was a breakthrough for us,” says Kim.
Ed invited the group leaders to visit Brophy. “We saw those
students getting an education and formation,” says Lori. Inspired
by their experience at Brophy, the group formed a board and
began raising money. Among the initial gifts were 96 acres of
property valued at $14.4 million from the H.N. and Frances
Berger Foundation, the school’s first scholarship fund from Jack
and Judy Perry, and one million dollars from Dolores Hope,
wife of the late Bob Hope.
In spring 2005, the board hired Brophy’s vice-principal,
Christopher Alling, as Xavier’s principal. A year later, he
persuaded Mark Granger, a Brophy faculty member and basketball coach, to serve as assistant principal and dean of students.
For Chris and Mark, moving away from jobs and old friends in
Arizona required soul-searching. “Something was happening
STRUGGLE IN THE DESERT
impression.
inside me,” Mark recalls. “Having made the Spiritual Exercises,
I knew I needed to pray. I felt God was pushing me [toward
Xavier] and I found it really hard to say no to God.”
In California, they soon realized that Xavier would break
the mold in other ways. Chris arrived thinking he was hired to
build “Brophy West” but a trip down the Valley convinced him
that “I had to cut all that loose.” He drove to the Salton Sea to
“Cesar Chavez country.” There, he found many migrant families
living in poverty.
“I had it backwards,” Chris recalls. “I was overly focused
on content and hadn’t paid attention to context. That was a
moment of grace, when God opened my eyes. I loosened my
grip and let the identity of the school set its own roots.”
The inaugural class of students came from all economic
backgrounds, but 41% received financial assistance to defray
tuition, which amounted to $9,000 per student in 2006-07. What
they all shared was a pioneering spirit. “The school is a reflection of us,” says Laura Granillo, 14. “We get to start new clubs
and delve into our religion more deeply.” Students occasionally
travel 20 miles west to Mecca to help distribute donated food
to needy folks. “I’m happy that I’m helping people,” she says.
“Most of the men and women speak Spanish, but they know
how to say ‘Thank you.’”
IGNATIAN FORMATION FOR LAY EDUCATORS
Xavier has no Jesuits on staff, so lay leaders cultivate the
Jesuit “way of proceeding.” Faculty formation is key. “We’re not
only trying to build buildings, but a faculty that understands
Ignatian education,” says Chris. Of Xavier’s seven teachers,
only Mark and Chris had previous experience in Jesuit schools.
Through a weekly prayer group, some teachers and staff are
being introduced to fundamental Jesuit values such as cura
personalis, meaning care of the whole person including their
physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health.
Some Ignatian concepts are new to social studies teacher
Richard Probasco. “All of the people who have influenced me,
I see the Jesuit in them— the intellectual drive, yet the acceptance of the mystery of what we are doing,” he says. “Now, I’m
in the right spot to help students pay attention to what it means
to be human and more self-reflective.”
The people who worked to establish Xavier remain inspired.
As Lori explains, “Our children’s spirits are under attack and
they need the tools to fight that.” How does Xavier help them?
“Three times a day they pause to pray for the earth, the school,
and the less privileged. Every time they do, these students learn
to rely on their inner spirit and their faith.”
FOCUSING ON THE FUTURE In September 2006,
Xavier’s first classes were held in temporary quarters at the
local branch of California State University, San Bernardino. In
March 2007, students and faculty occupied Xavier’s first two
buildings. The core facilities, each 45,000 square feet, include
classrooms, science labs, a lecture hall, and a gleaming gymnasium. A chapel is the next priority. The ongoing fundraising
process was given a boost by a $2-million construction grant
from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
As the school embarks on its second academic year, its
founders are focused on more than facilities. “The Valley’s
population of 400,000 is projected to grow to 1 million in 20
years,” says Kim. “This is an opportunity to vision our values
and [decide] how we want to grow.” DoeDee Rover, president
of Xavier’s board of directors, concurs: “If our students can look
back in 20 years and say, ‘I wouldn’t be the person I am today
without Xavier,’ that’s a win for God and all of us.”
To learn more about Xavier’s programs or to donate to its
annual Angels Among Us campaign, go to www.xavierprep.org
or call (760) 601-3900.
NEW MODELS FOR
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
In order to deploy
Jesuits effectively and
support lay colleagues in
sustaining its educational
mission, the California Province has embraced new educational models. Xavier College Preparatory is endorsed by
the Province as an Ignatian school in the Jesuit tradition.
Although it receives no financial support from the Province,
Xavier actively participates in conferences and other professional development programs sponsored by the Province
and the Jesuit Secondary Education Association.
The Province co-sponsors Cristo Rey High School,
Sacramento, with the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and
the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, as well as Verbum
Dei High School with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
In addition, the Province sponsors five high schools
and one co-institutional Nativity middle school.
For more information on these and other educational ministries
of the California Province, go to www.jesuitscalifornia.org and
click on Ministries & Communities, then scroll down to
Education and click again.
MISSION FALL 2007
17
AS A JESUIT PHYSICIAN, FATHER JON FULLER PRACTICES MEDICINE AS A MEANS TOWARD
18 MISSION FALL 2007
mercy
THE RISKS OF
by Gail Tyson
“LIKE THE ROAD TO KUWAIT WAS LINED WITH
BURNED-OUT TANKS, THE ROAD OF AIDS CARE
IS LITTERED WITH BURNOUT,” says Jon Fuller,
S.J., M.D. At the time of the Gulf War,
he had begun his own battle to heal
AIDS patients— and to cope with the
stress. “I began to cry at the most minor provocation, and I realized it was
all about grief I hadn’t been able to get
out,” he recalls.
Twenty-four years later, this Jesuit
physician has learned to work with
the grief while he cares for patients,
writes moral theology, teaches caregivers, and helps shape global policy.
In each case, he says, “My work is
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARRY MAGLOTT
SOCIAL JUSTICE.
about mercy.”
Infinite mercy will be needed to address this global scourge. In late 2006,
UNAIDS reported that 39.5 million
adults and children worldwide were
living with acquired immune deficiency
syndrome (AIDS) and its cause, the
MISSION fall 2007
19
FR. FULLER SEES ABOUT 150 PATIENTS IN THE INNER-CITY
HOSPITAL’S ADULT AIDS CLINIC. TO MAKE THE 20 MINUTES
HE HAS WITH EACH PATIENT AS PERSONAL AS POSSIBLE,
HE SPENDS HOURS AT NIGHT STUDYING THE DATA ON
THEIR CHARTS.
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). That number includes
1.4 million in North America, 7.8 million in South/Southeast
Asia, and 24.7 million in Sub-Saharan Africa. Those most at
risk of HIV infection are 15- to 24-year-old married women in
Sub-Saharan Africa who practice abstinence and fidelity but
whose husbands often do not. Their plight indicates the many
issues —from gender inequality to poverty —that contribute to
the spread of the disease.
Fr. Fuller is a member of the California Province of the Society
of Jesus. After completing the novitiate, he studied philosophy
and taught high school before attending medical school at the
University of California at San Diego. He has worked in AIDS’
scientific and moral trenches since 1983, when at the age of
30 he began a three-year residency at San Francisco General
Hospital. His arrival there coincided with the opening of the
world’s first in-patient AIDS unit. “I realized this work would
involve me scientifically, pastorally, and ecclesially”— the
last because, at that time, “the Church couldn’t face two
populations: gay men or addicts.”
During his residency, he saw how patients, mostly young
gay men, suffered spiritually when chaplains met them with
judgment. Thinking “we need to be merciful,” he asked fellow
Jesuits to visit the sick and began to see medicine as a way to
practice social justice.
AN OFFERING OF MEDICINE AND CARING In 1986, Fr. Fuller
moved to Boston to attend the Weston Jesuit School of Theology and to work at the newly opened AIDS clinic at Boston
City Hospital, now part of Boston University Medical Center.
“In San Francisco I’d been seeing mostly white, gay men who
were educated, employed, and had insurance. Fighting this disease
was the number-one item on their agenda,” says Fr. Fuller. “In Boston the population was very different; we had to deal with housing,
addiction, and hunger before they could focus on their illness.”
Today, women and minorities dominate his caseload,
reflecting the frightening pattern of the disease. Worldwide
17.7 million women over the age of 15 were living with HIV/
AIDS by 2005, while in the United States 50% of new AIDS
diagnoses occurred among African Americans.
20 MISSION FALL 2007
Although his titles are attending physician and associate
professor, Fr. Fuller sees himself as his patients’ guardian. He
asks what kinds of care they need beyond prescriptions: “What
are their personal issues, how are they coping with relationships, are they dealing with addictions? I try to see myself in
the person.” That practice reflects the definition of the Aramaic
word for mercy, chesed, which goes beyond sympathy or pity
to “the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin.” It’s the
word, scholars say, Jesus would have used in his Sermon on
the Mount.
Such keen attentiveness requires acute self-knowledge. When
Fr. Fuller teaches a Harvard Divinity School course in “Pastoral Care to Persons Affected by HIV/AIDS,” his key question to
students is “Why do you want to be a helper?” Therapeutically,
caregivers must understand why they choose this work. “Addicts
can sniff out your vulnerabilities, because they’ve learned to
survive any system,” says Fr. Fuller, who estimates 25% to 30%
of his patients are still using drugs. Despite such harsh realities,
“Every time a person walks through that door, I get to encounter whole new worlds. The most difficult patients for me are
not addicts, but the ones who won’t take care of themselves.”
All Fr. Fuller can do, he says, is to “make an offering” of
medicine and caring.
religious community. “In 1989, at the first conference on the
topic of priests living with HIV, the men who testified wore paabout 150 patients in the inner-city hospital’s Adult AIDS Clinic.
per bags over their heads.” He has cared for priests living with
Since highly active antiretroviral therapy was developed in
HIV/AIDS, counseled superiors, vocation directors, and bishops
1996, more people can live longer with HIV “if they don’t
grappling with the impact of the disease on individuals and
come into care too late and they take their medications propcommunities, and written guidelines for developing admissions
erly,” Fr. Fuller says. To make the 20 minutes he has with each
policies regarding HIV testing.
patient as personal as possible, he spends hours at night studyIn recent years, he and Fr. Keenan have published Catholic
ing the data on their charts.
To help manage the physical and emotional stress, he runs Ethicists on HIV/AIDS Prevention, which received a National
20 miles a week and gardens at a friend’s place in Rhode Jesuit Book Award. They believe that poverty, political instabilIsland. Daily prayer sustains him: “If I didn’t spend that ity, and gender inequality are breeding grounds for the disease,
while “nutrition, hygiene, clean water and education
half-hour in the morning, I wouldn’t know why I’m
are the real tools of HIV prevention.” Or, as one
here,” he says. What does he carry with him? “I
“I carry
person living with HIV put it, “What good
carry the call, my relationship with Jesus, and
the call, my
does it do me to have HIV drugs, when I
companionship with other Jesuits. I don’t
relationship
with
Jesus
don’t have enough to eat?”
feel like I’m a lone ranger,” he points out.
and
companionship
“I’ve been missioned by the California
with other Jesuits. I
MULTIPLYING KNOWLEDGE, SEEKING
Province to do this work and I feel their
MAGIS Since 1989, Fr. Fuller has circled
don’t feel like I’m a
support, even on the dicey issues I write
the globe, consulting with such agencies
about: needle exchange [for drug addicts], conlone ranger
as the AIDS Funding Network Group. One of
doms, homosexuality.”
the most thrilling experiences in his life occurred
Fr. Fuller’s articles in favor of needle-exchange
in Durban, South Africa, in 2000 at the first international AIDS
programs to prevent HIV transmission among drug users have
conference held in a developing country. Opening with an elecappeared in America and other journals, sometimes attracting
trifying ceremony of native drummers pouring into the stadium,
rebukes and challenges from officials in the Roman Catholic
“the conference was filled with African energy,” he recalls. That
Church. He has learned to be “careful.” But, as he and Father
energy propelled the move from “talk to targets,” he says, and
James F. Keenan, S.J., a professor of theology at Boston
led to the passage of the World Health Organization’s “3 by 5”
College, have written: “the vocation to pursue moral truth
initiative which proposed treating 3 million people by 2005.
takes us into the world precisely where there is suffering.”
Fr. Fuller views his own response in terms of “the multiplier
He calls his work with Fr. Keenan “the most important
effect,” a phrase used by St. Ignatius to describe where there
professional collaboration I’m engaged in. Our joint intervenis the greatest need. For Fr. Fuller that means “multiplying the
tion with the Society of Christian Ethics led to their espousal
knowledge I’ve developed on a 1:1 level and taking it to a
of a position that needle-exchange programs are moral.” The
global level.” He also serves as a trustee for the University of
Society, an association of professors of Christian ethics from
San Francisco. USF President Stephen Privett, S.J., says, “Jon is
seminaries in the U.S. and Europe, “wanted to go on record
one of first people I invited on the board, because he’s smart,
because there was a dearth of voices on this subject from
thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the Society, and he has
those concerned with moral values.” In May 2007, Frs. Fuller
devoted his life to the service of a very marginalized population.”
and Keenan wrote to the Texas Legislature in support of a bill
The pace and volume of Fr. Fuller’s work takes a toll, yet he
providing for needle-exchange programs that would “neither
is
committed to risking grief, controversy, and red-eye wearisupport nor condone drug addiction, but…keep addicted
ness to be an advocate of mercy. “Ignatius let people find their
clients (and their sexual partners and children) alive.” Both
genius and use it to find Christ in the world,” he says. “Where
chambers voted in favor of the bill.
do I see Jesus in this? Until every person in the Body of Christ
Silence and fear can push those who suffer farther out on
is made whole, none of us are.”
the margins, and Fr. Fuller has seen that operate within the
PRACTICING SPIRITUALITY, PURSUING TRUTH Fr. Fuller sees
.”
MISSION fall 2007
21
Discovering the
Historical
Jesus
By Ron Hansen, Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.
Professor in the Arts and Humanities at
Santa Clara University
L
ast fall, I taught a course on the historical Jesus for the
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Santa Clara University.
Working from points developed by Bart D. Ehrman in
The Historical Jesus, I began the first session with the biography
of a man who lived some 2,000 years ago. His mother was told
by an angel that she was pregnant with a son who would be
divine; signs and wonders signaled his birth; for a while he was
an itinerant preacher, collected disciples, performed miracles,
and confronted Roman authorities; and his followers claimed
that he ascended to Heaven after his death and they wrote
books about his life.
I was talking, of course, of the first-century pagan philosopher Apollonius of Tyana, whose life and teachings were
recorded by his follower Philostratus.
The first problem with historical Jesus studies is that many
of the events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth have at least
some parallels with other prominent men in the ancient world,
for the concept of biography was far different then, when
22 MISSION FALL 2007
hyperbole was incorporated in writing about a life in order
to emphasize the eminence of a person and faithfulness to
the facts was of secondary importance.
Another problem is that none of our Gospels were written
by evangelists who actually knew Jesus; the first, by Mark,
appeared at least 30 years after Jesus died. Indeed, the first
writing about Jesus was by Paul, who was not a disciple and
who seemed to have little interest in the earthly life of the
man he called the Christ.
Encountering these difficulties, historians have developed
three basic methodological principles in evaluating the
veracity of documents concerning our mysterious Jesus.
✥ Historical sources closest to an event have a greater
likelihood of accuracy than those written much later.
✥ We should be alert to later developments, such as new
theological articulations, that may have affected the text.
But we must also acknowledge that startling perspectives
need time in order to be fully comprehended.
✥ We should be aware of the prejudices and assumptions
influencing each author of a text. Elements may have
been subtracted or included for evangelical reasons.
Historians have also developed three specific criteria in
determining the reliability of traditions about Jesus.
✥ The criterion of independent attestation. Like a prosecuting attorney establishing a case, historians seek out as
many separate perspectives as possible that little by little
will reconstruct what actually happened.
✥ The criterion of dissimilarity. Especially if a particular
witness’s testimony runs counter to his or her vested interest, that testimony is more likely to be true. Consider the
fact that two of the Gospels say Jesus was baptized by
John; that all four contradict ancient Jewish expectations
in proclaiming that the Messiah was crucified; or that
Peter, one of the greatest leaders of the early Church,
denied Jesus in his hours of judgment. Each of these
would be sources of embarrassment for the evangelizers.
The facts are somewhat dissimilar from the underlying
claims. Thus their inclusion in the sources may only be
justified by their fidelity to the record.
✥ The criterion of contextual credibility. The tradition in the
Gospel of Peter that it was the Jewish King Herod who had
Jesus executed, rather than Pontius Pilate, does not conform
to our information about administrative rule in Judea.
Applying these three methodological principles and three
specific criteria, my class examined four crucial elements of the
Gospel accounts: the nativity, the miracles, the crucifixion, and
the resurrection.
THE NATIVITY. The conception and birth of Jesus are so
exceptional, of course, that the historian can only be highly
skeptical. Mary is “alone of all her sex,” as an old Catholic
prayer has it, in staying a
THE CRUCIFIXION.
virgin through conception,
About the crucifixion there is
We know with great
pregnancy, and thereafter.
a general unanimity of opinion
certainty that an execution
Without earthly precedent,
concerning its real occurrence,
and with confused reportits locale, and how it took
of an apocalyptic prophet
ing of the circumstances—
place. We know with great
named Jesus of Nazareth took
Emperor Augustus seems
certainty that an execution of
not to have ordered a cenan apocalyptic prophet named
place in Jerusalem, on a
Jesus of Nazareth took place
sus of the whole world as
Friday
during
Passover.
in Jerusalem, on a Friday durLuke claims, and another
ing Passover, under the orders
Bethlehem was recently
of Pontius Pilate, procurator of
discovered near Nazareth
Judea, sometime between the
rather than in Judea —the
years
29
and
34.
In
accounts
of
commoners
in the ancient world
historian, whether Christian or not, has no other option than to
that
amount
of
detail
is
unique
in
its
precision.
John P. Meier,
suspect the nativity stories as we know them are pious fictions.
whose three-volume work A Marginal Jew is probably the most
But fiction, it must be remembered, is far different from a lie for
rigorous, recent academic study of the historical Jesus, is so conit is concerned with a superior truth. Matthew and Luke could
vinced by the accuracy of the passion narrative of John’s Gospel
be mostly right in their retelling of what happened, for all things
that he follows its hints and situates the execution on the cross on
are possible with God, but neither Mark, John, nor Paul seem to
April 7 in the year 30.
have been intrigued enough by the anomaly of Christ’s birth to
Arguments have been raised about the shuttling of Jesus from
report it. There is no independent attestation of Christmas day,
trial to trial in the wee hours after the Last Supper, for scholars
the star over Bethlehem, the wise men, nor Herod’s slaughter of
have no evidence of the Sanhedrin and Rome cooperating in
the innocents.
that way. And John Dominic Crossan, one of the most prolific
writers on the historical Jesus, also finds the post-mortem burial
THE MIRACLES. We have one independent attestation of
hard to believe since the vast majority of those who died by
the miracles. Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian,
crucifixion became carrion for scouring animals.
mentions Jesus primarily as a miracle worker who attracted
Again and again in historical Jesus studies one runs up
a cult and was crucified by Pontius Pilate. Each of the four
against the same problem: history considers what usually hapGospels says exactly the same thing, but in the slightly differpened, but our faith tells us Jesus was extraordinary. We agree
ing ways that are typical of recollected memories. Apollonius
to disagree then, for with no grounds to think otherwise the
of Tyana, whom I initially compared to Jesus, supposedly also
historian is forced to say the unlikely is just that: unlikely.
performed miracles, but in mumbo-jumbo ways that immedi-
“
”
ately strike the modern reader as ludicrous.
Yet in the Gospel accounts there is an affective reality that
is so touching it cannot be other than plausible. Consider the
Shakespearean genius a first-century author would have to
possess in order to invent an incompletely healed man who
reports to the miracle worker: “I see men, but they are like
trees walking.” (Mark 8: 24) Some recorded miracles do seem
to be only metaphorical, but many seem too peculiar to be
other than fairly accurate depictions of real events. Also, recall
that Jesus sought out for his ministrations those who were
unclean or ostracized, which matches up with our criterion of
embarrassment or dissimilarity.
Some scholars maintain that the healings were faith events that
had less to do with Christ’s “deeds of power” than with a mindover-matter function like that seen with placebo pills. Others have
pointed out that there were hundreds of charlatans and snake-oil
salesmen operating in Palestine then and healings were claimed
by them, too. But whatever the judgment on the miracles, the
historian would be hard-pressed to say nothing at all happened.
THE RESURRECTION. And so historians are generally
at a loss when the subject of the resurrection comes up. All
the methodological principles and criteria come into play, for
there are simply too many ancient authorities who corroborate
the disciples’ faith in it —a faith that would lead many to their
deaths. A hallucination or a hoax cannot be reconciled with the
historically remarkable movement that, within 25 years after
Jesus’s execution, and under the most murderous conditions,
created Christian communities across the Mediterranean world.
Are we changed for the worse by the iconoclastic study of the
Jesus of history? Is our faith weakened? I think not. I have an
overlay of both the historical Jesus and the Jesus of scripture when
I pray, but generally the Christ who answers my prayers is not
them but the transcendent Jesus who speaks English and is wise,
succinct, magnificently loving, and humorous. He tolerates our historical investigations into who he was just as we tolerate a sniffing
dog, and he gives us back, like a hand on a head, affection.
Editor’s note: Author Ron Hansen was ordained as a permanent
deacon for the Diocese of San Jose earlier this year.
MISSION FALL 2007
23
LET US GO TOGETHER TO THE FIRE
By Robert J. Glynn, S.J.
“A shudder still passes through me as I sense the depth of
Christ’s love alive in St. Charles Lwanga and St. Kizito.”
A
s a Jesuit missionary in Africa for six and a half years
between 1998 and 2007, I served as a senior lecturer
in English and chaplain at Charles Lwanga Teachers’
Training College at Chikuni Mission in Zambia. Last year, the
college’s Catholic choir recorded a song whose lyrics proclaim:
“Saint Charles Lwanga ayabele Kizito ati witina tuleya boonse
kumulilo.” Those words didn’t make much of an impact on me
until months after I had returned to the
United States. One day while playing a
video game, I slipped the album into a
CD player and heard those lyrics again:
“Saint Charles Lwanga ayabele Kizito
ati witina tuleya boonse kumulilo.” This
time, they made a dent in my consciousness, distracting my play until the “Game
Over” sign flashed on.
In Nyanja, a Zambian language, the
words can be translated as “Saint Charles
Lwanga said to Kizito, ‘Do not fear; we
shall go together to the fire.’ ” During
my first year at the college, I learned that
Charles Lwanga, 21 other Roman Catholics, and 21 Anglicans were killed during
a reign of terror in 1885-1886 instigated
by the royal court of Kabaka Mwanga
who ruled a kingdom in what is now modern Uganda. Their
crime? They would not condone the immorality of Mwanga, a
selfish and evil ruler, and they held firm to their faith in one
God and a love of Jesus Christ. Mwanga ordered the executions
of royal pages, local chiefs, and others. Some died by spear,
others by machete, but most in a bonfire fed by their own
reed-wrapped bodies.
When I hear the song, I do not imagine the gruesome immolation. Instead, I picture 23-year-old Charles Lwanga, head
of the royal pages and catechist for the Catholic catechumens,
turning to his 13-year-old student Kizito (who refused to deny
24 mission FALL 2007
his desire to be a Christian in order to save his own life) to
assure him that nothing could separate them even in death. On
the way to martyrdom, Charles Lwanga baptized a number of
those who would share his fate.
A shudder still passes through me as I sense the depth of
Christ’s love alive in St. Charles Lwanga and St. Kizito. They
both identified as Christian love something which had only
been named as such in Uganda seven
years earlier with the arrival of the White
Fathers, a missionary society.
As I reflect on the faith of Charles
Lwanga and Kizito, I recall the impressive
love for Jesus Christ which I encountered
among the many catechumens and young
Christians I came to know at the college.
Many of those I taught and baptized were
about the same age as Charles Lwanga
and Kizito. In their eagerness for the
sacraments and to belong to the Catholic
community, I caught a glimpse of the same
African Catholic faith which had deeply
impressed the White Fathers.
Many of these young men and women
will be sent by Zambia’s teaching service
Painting by Charles Mwanambala
to areas where no priest is able to minister
and to communities which may prove virulently anti-Catholic.
Many of them will know death at a young age, the victims of
the illness which ravages southern Africa. I, their 21st-century
Jesuit missionary, remain confident that those to whom the
faith was preached will be even better missionaries. And in
their mission, we are united, not just with each other but with
Charles Lwanga, Kizito, and the Church that believes no flames
can ever destroy the love of Jesus Christ alive in our hearts.
Hear a Zambian choir sing “In Praise of the Ugandan Martyrs,
Saints Charles Lwanga and Kizito” on the Music Box page of
our website: www.jesuitscalifornia.org
Science class at USF, circa 1927
Focusing a microscope, Joseph M. Clark, S.J., conducts a science class at the
University of San Francisco. Born in 1900, Clark was a Jesuit scholastic at the time this
photo was taken. He served as a chaplain at Alcatraz prison (Al Capone attended his Mass)
and in the Army during World War II. Fr. Clark also served as pastor of
St. Henry’s Church in Brigham City, Utah. He died in 1980.
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